Improvement in propulsion of vessels



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ALBERT F. YARD'ELL; CF sAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

Letters Patent No. 84,602, dated December 1, 1868. i

IMPROVEMENT IN PROP'ULSION lOE" VESSEL@ The Schedule Vreferred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may 'concerny Beit known that I, ALBERT F. YARDELL, of the city and county of San Francisco, State oi' Oalitbrnia, have invented an Improved Mode of Propelling Ships by the action of the sca; and I do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are sufficient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains, to make and use my said invention or improvements without further invention or experiment.

T .he natureof my invention is to provide an iinproved means ofpropelling vessels, without interfering with their .sailing-capacity, or .occupying much space required for freight.

My device may bc applied to all sea-going vessels,

`and consists in suspending a box or tank, which isloaded or filled with freight or ballast, above the kelson, so that by the action ofthe sea, as the ship pitches, this weight or box will swing to and tro, or forward and back, and drive a propeller attached tothe stern of the ship in the usual way.

.-Referring to the drawings forming a part of this specification- -Figure l is an end section;

Figure 2 is a plan;

Figure 3ds a side sectional elevation;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a part of the segment J, the gears L Ll L2, the shafts K and M, posts N N, and' platform O;

Figure' is a view, also on an enlarged scale, of the same gears seen in iig. 4, with the ratchets P and pawls l, crank or arm T, spring S, and propeller R attached;

' .Figure 6 is a view ofV one of the ratchets, P, and

pawls, P', seen in a direction parallel to the shaft M; and

Figure 7, a view of the spring S, seen in the same direction.

Similar letters of reference, in each of the figures, indicate like parts.

A represents the hull of the vessel, in which, below the decks, is constructed aframe or compartment, B, which divides the vessel longitudinally from stem to stern, from the kelson up to thelower deck.` This compaltment is bra-ced, and attached at all necessary points to the ship, and has longitudinal and transverse rods above, connectedto her sides.

The tank C is placed in the frame, and is suspended by vertical hangers, I) D, to transverse rods. E E, which rest on upright posts, F F, ofthe frame, which allows it to swing back and forth beneath thelower deck, openings Gr G G being provided for the masts. At`eaeh side of the tank, and underneath it, may be placed rollers, to avoid friction.v

which may be raised or lowered, to give the tank or box more or less room for play,and, when fully lowered,

lnay prevent the movement of the tank altogether, in case of disarrangementof the machinery, or other p causes, when the propellerean be triced up, and the ship will be likethe ordinary sailing-vessels.

A connecting-rod, I, is' attached to the' tank, 'and .connects with a segment, J, 'at the side of the frame,

tirely free from the ratehets, and when the gearsq are reversed, the pawls are thrown instantly against the teeth of the ratchet-whee1s, so as to turn the shaft always in the saniedirection.

'lhe propeller or screw It is attached to a shaft at- AL the stern of the boat, in the ordinary way, passing through a stuiling-box. To the inner end of the propeller-shaft is attached a spring, S, which Vis coiled, and connected to the end of the gear-shaft by an arm, T. This spring is made of considerable size and strength, and its connection with the propeller is such that, as` the tank or weight moves lback and forward towards the stern of the boat, and its force expended, the springis coiled up, and the force thus held in reserve is gradually expended during the slow ascent or descent of the ship, until it turns so'as to allow the weight to move in the opposite direction again, and give a new impulse.

Having thus described my invention, I

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The bar or tank C, capable of containing cargo, arranged a-nd operating substantially as described, for the purpose of communicating motion to the propeller 4of a vessel.

Fore and aft are placed wedge-shaped blocks, HH,

2. In combination with the tank C, the rod I, segment J )inion K earsLL L2 ratchets P and awls 

